Hydraulic Rope Tube and Pipe Bender

ABSTRACT

A device used to bend metal tube and pipe past 180 degrees in one stroke of a cylinder with rope or cable. The hydraulic tube and pipe bender comprises a main body having two openings on each end with a hydraulic cylinder in the middle. A swivel device is attached at one end of the cylinder to control the force of each rope or cable and acts as a safety device always keeping one rope or cable attached. A magnet is used to place over a degree indicator to get the exact bend you want in a tube by means of a limit switch that triggers when the magnet trips it. Plates are parallel with each other on top of the main tube to hold the dies. Two leverage wheels are used to hold the ropes or cables to get the designed force to bend the tube or pipe.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of provisional patent application No. 63/326,442, filed on Apr. 1, 2022, entitled “Hydraulic Rope Non Stop Tube Bender”.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to tube and pipe bending devices for bending metal tubes or bar to any degree up to 180 degrees and past all in one stroke of the hydraulic cylinder, by placing a magnet at the degree you choose and pushing a button to activate the hydraulic cylinder the device will activate and bend the tube in a controlled manor.

2. Description of Related Art

Tube and pipe benders are commonly used in fabrication shops or the do it yourself home shop to build anything from race car roll cages to simple bent pieces of tube to hold up a coffee table. Many of the conventional tube and pipe benders or the lower cost tube and pipe benders have features where you have to re pin the die to continue the bend and get more degrees bent in the tube, this is time consuming and you can end up with a mark in the tube when you restart the bending. Some of the higher cost benders can bend a full 180 degrees without stopping to re pin the die, those are usually made with heavy duty gears and servo motors all digitally controlled.

One of the most commonly used Tube and pipe bender is the rotor draw tube bender it's basically two dies with the tube in between them that you will be bending. The top die which is usually a full circle or slightly over 180 degree has half of the tubes size and shape cut out into it and the bottom smaller die has the other half of the tubes size.

Together these two dies fit perfect around the tube. The tube is attached to the top or the bigger die in a few different ways depending on the design. Then the top die is rotated to the degree you want to get in the bent tube. There are many different designs to get the top die to turn and start bending the tube, some are gears powered by a motor or servo, some of the simplest ones are just a hydraulic jack placed right on the side of the die with a linkage.

There are a few tube benders that will bend a tube 180 degrees in one stroke and to any degree with one push of a button. These benders are most of the time, the top of the line benders with the highest price tag. Therefore there will always be a market for someone looking for a more affordable bender with a unique way of turning the die.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a device for bending metal tube and pipe to any degree you want with one push of a button. The tube or pipe you want to bend is placed in between the top die and the bottom die. The tube is locked onto the top die with a metal strap and a pin. The device is powered by a hydraulic pump that is powered by batteries for mobility or your standard US 120 volt wall outlet. Two leverage wheels are locked together with the top die with a pin that goes through them, the pin is locked in with two clamping shaft collars on each side. The leverage wheels are linked to a hydraulic cylinder by a rope, chain or cable and a pulley in the middle with a counter balance swivel device at the extending end of the cylinder that connects with two ropes or cables. When you place a magnet on the degree indicator and press the button for the hydraulic pump the cylinder extends and pulls the rope which pulls the leverage wheels which is connected to the die which bends the tubing or pipe. The bending of the tube stops when the magnet you placed on the degree indicator stops from a limit switch that's electrically connected to the hydraulic pump. The device is mainly made of metal but could be made of a strong composite or plastic. There is large tube that holds the cylinder and is pined and locked on one side. On the other side of the extending cylinder is a counter balance that connects the two ropes and keeps each leverage wheel pulling at the exact same force. Above the main tube that holds the cylinder is two almost vertical plates that hold the bottom and top die with by two pins. The top dies pin also holds the two leverage wheels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view illustrating a tube and pipe bender device showing the complete bender constructed in accordance with the present invention for use with bending metal tubing and piping.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view illustrating a tube and pipe bender device without showing the bottom half that has the bender stand, hydraulic pump or battery, constructed in accordance with the present invention for use with bending metal tubing and piping.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view illustrating a tube and pipe bender device without showing the bottom half that has the bender stand, hydraulic pump or battery. The side is cut out to show the hydraulic pump and rope roller also one leverage wheel is removed to show the top die and bottom die, constructed in accordance with the present invention for use with bending metal tubing and piping,

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a tube and pipe bender device without showing the bottom half that has the bender stand, hydraulic pump or battery, constructed in accordance with the present invention for use with bending metal tubing and piping.

FIG. 5 is a top view illustrating a tube and pipe bender device without showing the bottom half that has the bender stand, hydraulic pump or battery, constructed in accordance with the present invention for use with bending metal tubing and piping.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view illustrating a tube and pipe bender device without showing the bottom half that has the bender stand, hydraulic pump or battery, constructed in accordance with the present invention for use with bending metal tubing and piping.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 the present invention is a tube and pipe bender indicated generally at 10 for use to bend metal tube and pipe and or solid bar. There is a main body 12 that holds the hydraulic cylinder 60 by means of a pin 64 that goes through a cylinder attachment 63. The metal tube 34 is placed in between the top die 48 and the bottom die 50 and locked in place with a U strap 52 and a pin 54. The tube and pipe bender device 10 can also be used to bend square tube, solid bar, round bar, or rectangular bar. Once the tube 34 is inserted into the top die 48 and bottom die 50 and locked into the top die 48 with the U strap 52 and pin 54 that goes through an opening 42 in the leverage wheels 16 a magnet 5 is placed on the degree indicator 6 to the exact degree you want to bend. The hydraulic controller 6 is pressed, then the hydraulic pump 2 is activated which extends the hydraulic ram 61 which is attached to a counter balance swivel 22 at the end. The counter balance swivel 22 connects two ropes or cables 28 with two pins 24 and keeps even pressure on them. As the two ropes or cables 28 are being pulled they run along the idler pully 58 which is connected to the main body 12 and a inside plate 62 by a pin 32 that goes though them. The rope cable or chain 28 then goes through one or two holes 15 then wrap around one or more leverage wheels 16 then are connected by two pins 26. The wheel roller 58 is positioned in place to roll with the rope 28 and to keep the hydraulic cylinder 60 pushing in a horizontal direction, also it keeps the rope in the center of the two openings 15 and in line with the two leverage wheels 16. As the two leverage wheels 16 turn counter clockwise if viewing from FIG. 1 , it will turn the top die 48 counter clockwise as well, if viewing from FIG. 1 The top die 48 turns along with the leverage wheels 16 with a pin 38 that goes through opening 40, the leverage wheel 16 and the top die 48. The tube 34 is then pulled into both the top die 48 and bottom die 50 while it is attached to the top die 48 with the U strap 52. It then begins making the bend in the tube 34. The bend degree in the tube 34 you choose can be manually stopped by un pressing the hydraulic controller button 6 or continue until it automatically stops when the magnet 5 reaches the limit switch stick 3. The limit switch stick 3 then cuts off the power going to the hydraulic pump 2, which finishes the bend in the tube 34 to the degree you want. 

1. A device for bending metal tube or pipe whereas the device has a main body with a hydraulic cylinder in the middle with one or more ropes, cables or chains used to pull and bend the tube or pipe, the device comprising: A main body having two openings on each end and two openings on top for one or more rope, cable, or chains to go through with a body having at least one end that holds the cylinder by means of a pin.
 2. The device of claim one wherein the main body holding a hydraulic cylinder has a counter balance swivel attachment at the end of the hydraulic ram connected with a pin to the ram and two pins on the outer ends to connect the ropes, cable or chain to keep even pressure on each of them.
 3. A device that has one or more leverage wheels designed with a slot in the center to hold one or more ropes, cables or chains.
 4. A device that uses one or more leverage wheels with one or two connection points to fasten a rope or cable.
 5. A device that uses one or more idler pulleys to position one or two ropes or cables between a hydraulic ram and one or two leverage wheels that turn a die.
 6. A device that uses one or more leverage wheels that hold one or more ropes, cables or chains to turn a die over 180 degrees without stopping.
 7. A device as in claim 2 which has a counter balance swivel attachment at the end of the hydraulic ram which is used as a safety device to catch and stop the device by using two ropes or cables rather than one.
 8. A device as in claim 3 with one or two leverage wheels used to pull more or less weight depending on the radius or diameter of the leverage wheels or wheel designed also to pull the weight faster or slower depending on the radius or diameter.
 9. A device that uses a hydraulic cylinder that pushes on one or more ropes which in turn makes the rope, ropes or cable pull on the leverage wheels it was designed for.
 10. A device that has two vertical plates on top of a tube body with holes in them to hold two metal dies.
 11. A device that bends tube and pipe past 180 degrees with a hydraulic cylinder all in one outward stroke of the cylinder comprising of: at least one rope; at least one hydraulic pump; a hollow tube that holds the hydraulic cylinder attached at one end; a counter balance swivel attachment at the end of the hydraulic ram that holds two or more ropes for safety and even pressure; one or more vertical plates above the main body to hold dies with different sizes; a metal degree indicator to place a magnet for a limit switch to stop at; a limit switch that is connected to a hydraulic pump to kill the power; a 12 volt or 24 volt battery to power the hydraulic pump; A stand to hold the tube and pipe bender also to hold the battery and pump;
 12. A device that can automatically stop by means of a magnet placed on a metal degree indicator whereas the magnet triggers a limit switch.
 13. A device with a main tube that has two holes parallel to each other to insert rope or cable through to be able to wrap around and attach to two leverage wheels on one end and a hydraulic ram with a counter balance swivel on the other end along with an idler pulley in the middle.
 14. A mobile device that runs of battery power that can bend tube and pipe over 180 degrees all in one stroke of a hydraulic cylinder with a rope cable or chain.
 15. A device to bend tube that has one or more leverage wheels with one or more openings to insert pins for rotation or attachment.
 16. A device used to bend tube and pipe at different speeds by using one or more batteries together or by making a smaller diameter leverage wheel.
 17. A device that uses an Idler pully between a hydraulic ram and one or more leverage wheels.
 18. A device that has a hydraulic cylinder that pushes its ram on a rope, cable or chain that has an idler pulley positioned in line to make the hydraulic cylinder rise completely horizontal when tension is applied. 